Communication over a voltage isolation barrier

Abstract

A transmitter circuit comprises: an input, an encoder circuit, and a transmitter. During operation, the transmitter circuit receives an input signal. The encoder circuit encodes the received input signal into an encoded signal. The encoder circuit produces the encoded signal: i) to indicate changing states of the input signal, and ii) to include a supplemental transient signal with respect to the received input signal. The transmitter transmits the encoded signal from an output of the first circuit over a link to a second circuit such as a receiver circuit. A receiver decodes the encoded signal to reproduce a rendition of the input signal to control remote power supply circuitry. Presence of the supplemental transient signal in the encoded signal indicates to the receiver circuit that the first circuit actively transmits the output signal even though there may not be any change to a current state of the input signal.